Back to normal
by NilesLover
Summary: Niles visits Ms. Babcock at "the place". Takes place between the end of S5E17 "Homie-work" and the beginning of S5E19 "Immaculate Conception". Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They all belong to "The Nanny".


After he had called Dr. Bork he had sat down with her on the couch. She hadn't seemed to notice his presence even though her head had leaned against his shoulder. He had brushed over her hair softly until the doctor had come. It had only taken her a couple of minutes to decide that C.C. should be brought to a sanatorium. He had insisted to go along, but Dr. Bork had told him that it would be better if he wouldn't. At least she had given him the address.

Now he was on his way there. Dr. Bork already awaited him in front of C.C.'s room for a short briefing. "It's very important that you act as normal as possible. She is very upset because of all the sudden changes in her life so it would be good for her to have some normality to ground her." Niles was uncertain upon hearing that. "Are you sure? I usually ain't that nice to her and I really don't want to upset her any further…" Dr. Bork smiled at this. "I know that." Niles wasn't sure which part the doctor refered to with this. "Believe me, it will be better if you talk to her like you always do."

C.C. was sitting alone in the corner of her room. All alone. Just as always. The lonely Bitch of Broadway. The voices in her head became louder with every minute that went by. "Maxwell marries Fran." "You're not good enough." "You put shame upon the name Babcock." "Who could want such a pathetic excause for a woman?" "No man is ever even going to look at this pathetic desaster you are." She wanted to scream. Maybe she did scream. Did it matter now?

When Niles opened the door he didn't see her at first but when he looked around again he saw her sitting in the corner, her forehead leaned against her bended legs. "What a surprise that I could overlook a cow like you" he said nervously, trying to follow Dr. Bork's advise to act as usual. C.C. looked up but it seemed she looked right through him. "You're cleaning the floors here now, too?" It gave Niles goosebumps that she didn't sound like her at all. Her voice was as absent as her eyes.

It was no surprise to her that Niles was here. She had seen her grandma, her father, her mother, and even Maxwell and that awful nanny. They had all come to mock her. To laugh at her. To insult her. No wonder the king of insults was now here as well. She didn't really bother anymore. He couldn't say anything that they hadn't said before.

And then he suddenly left. He had barely thrown one insult at her and now he just… left. "Come back!" It sounded shrill, not like her at all, but she didn't care. He stood frozen at the door, obviously uncertain what to do.

It was too much for him, seeing her broken like that. How could he possibly keep teasing her under these circumstances? He figured he couldn't and tried to leave. But her scream glued him on the spot. It turned his guts to hear how desperate she was. He turned around and tried again, against all his instincts. "Well, that was so high-pitched, you almost sounded like a woman" he said, massaging his ears.

After that it became a little easier. He tried to visit her every day but was also determined not to let Mr. Sheffield or Ms. Fine find out about all his trips to the sanatorium. When a month had passed, he was still the only one who had ever visited her excluding the doctors. She wasn't much better yet. She still believed him to be a trick of her mind, an embodiment of all those voices in her head.

As every Thursday Dr. Bork was waiting in front of C.C.'s room to update Niles about her mental state. "It hasn't really changed since last week, has it?" She shook her head. Suddenly, he was angry. "You said it would be best for her if I behaved as always. Yet she doesn't get any better. Isn't there anything else I can do?" This last words sounded more pleading than he'd ever admit. "And it _is _the best for her. But if you really want to do anything else, you can bring her something." "What?" "Anything that gives her a feeling of normality. Nothing that she could harm herself with" she continued "but… I don't know. Pictures. Beloved memorabilias. Something like that." Niles nodded.

When he visited her the next day he brought along some pictures he had taken especially for her and a card, signed by everyone in the household. As he showed her the pictures, her eyes twitched. "Maxwell loves Fran" he said in a calm voice. He hoped this wasn't too much reality at once. Suddenly remembering that he was not supposed to be any more empathetic than usually and added: "Whereas you have to wear a straight jacket to feel a man's arms around you." She shook her head and read the card. This time, her eyes didn't twitch. "He does, doesn't he?" she answered in that absent voice that still made him shiver when he thought too long about it. And then she suddenly looked at him, _really_ looked at him, for the first time in over a month. He couldn't help but smile.

After that she slowly started to come back to her senses which meant he didn't come to visit her quite as often as before, for he was afraid that she would ask him why he'd come at all. He wasn't ready to answer that to himself yet, let alone to her. When he visited her six weeks after he brought the pictures, Dr. Bork waited for him. "Well, I am glad to tell you that we will be able to release her in two weeks." She smiled at him and he suddenly became nervous. "Oh?" "Yes, she's had no delusions for the last two weeks straight and she seems to adjust very well to her medication." Niles didn't know what to make out of it and after Dr. Bork had left he turned around and left as well, without seeing Ms. Babcock.

The following two weeks were pure torture to him and he wished more and more that he had not just turned around and left like a coward that day. But what was done was done and now he could only wait for her return. When the day had come on which she was supposed to return he was unable to sleep very long. He felt like a sixteen-year-old boy again, unable to think of anything but her. He put a girdle under one of his best suits and put on some of the cologne Ms. Fine had gotten him for his birthday. When he prepared breakfast he couldn't help but smile knowing he'd finally see her again today.

However, it was almost tea time when she finally showed up. Unfortunatly she had chosen the most improper moment."Hello, hello, I'm back!" As she popped through the kitchen door his heart skipped a beat. Then she caught the depressed atmosphere. "Well, what's with the sour faces, who died?" she joked, not knowing that someone had _actually_ died. As they'd just found out, Mr. Sheffield Sr. had passed away the night before. Niles enlightened her and she started to stutter. "Oh, Maxwell… I'm sorry… I didn't…" "You're sorry? Did they find a donor heart for you when you were away?" Niles teased and suddenly everything was back to normal.


End file.
